re: Simmons continues ragging on Pelicans...

quote:nerlens noel is a larry sanders clone, he won't be the difference in a team being good or bad

I think LARRY SANDERS!! is his realistic ceiling. If he reaches Sanders-caliber play within the next 4 years, and Holiday doesn't improve, then we made a mistake. A fringe all star center > fringe all star PG. I don't think that he'll be as good as LARRY SANDERS!!!, though. He has the talent, but I've read that teams are concerned about his drive to be a great player. Sanders has a mean streak in him for such a slight man, which I love, and it contributes to his being one of the best defenders in the NBA.

I wonder if Simmons realizes the only way we would be in the top end of the draft was by tanking again. We would have been stuck picking from 5-11 again and probably would have had to trade Gordon. On top of that, Benson would have fired Monty and possibly Dell, leaving us poorer for the deal. And Noel isn't going to be shite in the Association. He's Marcus Camby if Camby was 20 pounds lighter coming out of UMass and had already had a major knee injury. And I don't think Simmons realizes we already have our star player to build around in Anthony Davis.

This owner and this fanbase have no stomach for another shitty lottery season. I sure as shite don't. Plus we will have flexibility in the future to add or move contracts regardless of what the naysayers think with their shallow and shortsighted analysis.

quote:Cap space, which is what some seem to be concerned about with these signings. You can't say the contracts cap the team out and are unmoveable and then complain if they move them to open up cap space.

You have to eat alot of space for whoever you trade for. The Raptors got stuck with Novak's contract and the Hawks got stuck with pieces in the Johnson trade (Stevenson). You can't shed it in a season. Kind of like when we did the Oak/Ariza trade. You can move them, but you end up eating a bad contract for a bit before you get the freedom. If they do that sometime this season or before next season, you will end up taking on a bad contract and maybe get enough room for a exception type trade. I just don't think the team will get much if anything in return.

quote:Well duh. But he can move them to reshape the roster if it doesn't work.

He is free to do whatever it takes. But those two contracts (Evans and Gordon) are the corner stone of his legacy, not Davis falling in his lap. If one or both don't work, it pretty much means his demise. I think it's interesting he doubled down like this, it's a huge risk and I kind of admire him for taking a chance. But it will be a killer if it don't work.

quote:The Raptors got stuck with Novak's contract and the Hawks got stuck with pieces in the Johnson trade (Stevenson)

Novak is $3.5M/year for 3 more years for one of the premier 3pt shooters. I could live with that. Camby is reportedly $4.5M and partial guaranteed for next year and Richardson is $1M, with no guaranteed money after this season. Not great, but not cap destroying either.

Stevenson was an expiring $2.5M deal, similar to every other guy in the Johnson deal. You aren't talking about crippling contracts here.

quote:If they do that sometime this season or before next season

No chance in hell they move anyone this season or before next for anything other than a player they really want. With the upheaval this summer (again), this roster needs time to play together.

I imagine this board will be out of control the first few months of the season when the team is playing something like .400 ball. I fully expect a strong second half of the season as they develop an identity.

quote:But those two contracts (Evans and Gordon) are the corner stone of his legacy

Morey's epitaph was being written last summer. Things can change very quickly. Especially with new CBA limiting contract length, bad deals don't cripple teams the way they used to.

quote:I think it's interesting he doubled down like this, it's a huge risk and I kind of admire him for taking a chance.

I agree. I advocated a Gordon FOR Evans swap. I never thought much about Gordon AND Evans. I have some reservations, but I think it can work with smart rotations- not exactly a Monty strong suit- and a revamped system.

I can understand doubts on the roster. It is an unconventional depth chart. Seriously, 7 of the top 8 guys are combo guards or stretch 4s. Takes away some things, but opens up lots of new possibilities. It will be a very interesting next couple of years.

quote: Seriously, 7 of the top 8 guys are combo guards or stretch 4s. Takes away some things, but opens up lots of new possibilities. It will be a very interesting next couple of years.

It will be. You have guys capable at multiple positions but based on their natural strengths you are still weak at 3 and 5 unless you find the right mix of one dimensional role players. Although doesn't that seem to be the Spurs model? Stars + Role Player of the Night?

quote:Novak is $3.5M/year for 3 more years for one of the premier 3pt shooters. I could live with that. Camby is reportedly $4.5M and partial guaranteed for next year and Richardson is $1M, with no guaranteed money after this season. Not great, but not cap destroying either.

I know you are trying to put a positive spin on it, but Bargnani makes 11m and 12m the next two seasons. The guys you list, make 8m this year (I'm guessing Camby's cap hit at about 3.5m since they bought him out) and all kind of suck (Novak had a horrible year on a team desperate for front court players). Toronto is happy cause they just wanted him gone and they got a future 1st (plus some cap flexibility next year), but it didn't make them any better and they didn't add anyone that is really going to play.

quote:I can understand doubts on the roster. It is an unconventional depth chart. Seriously, 7 of the top 8 guys are combo guards or stretch 4s. Takes away some things, but opens up lots of new possibilities. It will be a very interesting next couple of years.

Unconventional is an understatement. I just don't get what the goal is. It goes against almost all conventional wisdom and they did it in such an odd way. I'll admit the team is better. But it had no where to go but up and I think they could have done so much more.

This line up is flexible, both on the court and on the trade block. Demps collected the best assets he could with the resources he had available. Is there some redundancy? Yes, but with Eric Gordon you need redundancy at SG. Are there still holes at the 3 and 5? That depends on the role players. To a certain extent this is what the Spurs do. They have star level play at 3 positions and role players at 2.